Magoffin County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
Magoffin County, KY roof snow load, translated
A typical heated home in Magoffin County is designed to carry 15 pounds per square foot of snow on its roof, per ASCE 7-22. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 15 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 10.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
On a roof that means 33 in. of fresh snow, 12 in. once it packs down, or 3 in. of solid ice - three very different piles for the same load. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Already snow on the roof in Magoffin County?
Magoffin County at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,543 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#99 of 120
- Population11,118
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.4 in.
- FIPS21153
Where Magoffin County ranks
#99 of 120 Kentucky counties by design load, top 56% of 2,758 nationally - that's Magoffin County's spot. Kentucky counties average 15.7 psf; Magoffin County runs 0.7 psf lower than that.
FIPS 21153, population 11,118, centered near 37.699°N 83.0697°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 15 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 15 psf design figure above.
Magoffin County: average annual snowfall
Magoffin County sees about 1.4 in. of snow most winters, per the PIKEVILLE KSP POST 9, KY US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. That station is far enough away (29 mi) that local snowfall - especially at a different elevation or near a lake - can run noticeably higher or lower than this figure. See the density guide.
Read this before you use Magoffin County's figure
The figure above assumes the case ASCE 7-22 treats as typical: a heated, ordinary-occupancy home on a partially exposed site. Change any of those - exposure, heating, roof pitch, occupancy category - and the real design number moves.
A building permit needs the number at your exact address, not the county average - the free ASCE 7 Hazard Tool returns that from your coordinates in about a minute and produces a PDF a plan reviewer will accept. See the methodology guide.